neral for a lovable senior lady. Her children warned me before the family meeting that their father could and probably would be difficult. Indeed, he was a snippy, snappy little fellow.
One year to the day later, I had his funeral. Each child shared memories of their father in the service. I learned that he’d spent much time with them and that he was a lot of fun. He built tree houses, went camping, taught them how to change oil and constantly encouraged them.
I wondered what had happened to the difficult fellow they had warned me about one year earlier. It occurred to me that they had warned me about the man I would meet, not the father that they loved.
They knew the real guy; the one that mattered. I’d met an old man, but they remembered a loving father. They knew he might treat me differently than how he had consistently treated them. I remember thinking that if we must be snippy and snappy it should be with others, not our own family. Often this is just the opposite.
On a sadder note, a successful, driven businessman turned 45. His wife brought their son to his office to wish him a happy birthday. The little boy smiled happily as he entered his father’s office; a rare privilege. He ran to his dad and climbing on his knee, began kissing him. He explained that he was going to kiss him 45 times; once for each year. The man was embarrassed and said sharply, “Stop it! I don’t have time for this!” The disappointed little boy sobbed as his mother quickly whisked him away.
Shortly afterwards, the boy accidentally drowned and the man regretted to his dying day that he had not taken time to let his little boy kiss him 45 times.
The Bible states, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, you will live a long life, full of blessing” (Ephesians 6:1 -3).
Verse 4 of the same passage however sets the stage. In precautionary fashion it says, “And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.”
Dads, with Father’s Day in the rear view mirror, did your family make you feel valued and loved? Did you return the favor?
Happy (belated) Father’s Day!
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church